In an increasingly competitive world, the United States must
invest in its best scientists,
researchers and entrepreneurs so that they innovate here, make things here, and
create good paying, high quality jobs for middle class families. The
Department of Commerce and its bureaus are supporting and fostering innovation at
all stages of product development, from original research through to final
manufactured goods.

Once entrepreneurs develop an innovative idea, the Commerce
Department works to protect their intellectual property. Under the America Invents Act,
the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has begun a series of roadshows
to introduce inventors and innovators to the patent process. To improve
innovation, the USPTO is opening
four satellite offices for the first time in its history. The USPTO and
NIST offer the IP
Awareness Assessment Tool. This
online portal poses a series of questions to inventors about their technologies
and business model, and provides them with information about patenting
strategies and IP protections at their disposal.

Innovation
is the catalyst for the recent resurgence of American manufacturing and NIST’s Advanced Manufacturing
Program Office enhances technology transfer in U.S. manufacturing
industries to help companies overcome obstacles to scaling up production of new
technologies. NIST’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) offers a Buy American Supplier Scouting program
that identifies U.S. manufacturing capabilities that meet the Buy American
Provisions of federal funding programs. NIST’s MEP and the International Trade Administration’s
Commercial Service work together on ExporTech to provide companies
with customized export action plans. Once manufacturers start exporting, the USPTO
offers its IP
Attaché program, which allows manufacturers to enter the global arena by
stepping up IP enforcement efforts.

One of the keys
to strengthening the economic leadership of the United States is finding
meaningful ways to drive competitiveness and innovation to create jobs. These
investments by the Commerce Department and its bureaus are tangible evidence of
the commitment to do just that.